Moving to the heart of the debate leads to lingering suspicions over anonymous transactions of the sort that might present opportunities to money launderers. The recurring criticism rests on shaky foundations not least because it ignores a number of conditions under which anonymity is in fact desirable as a safeguard of individual freedoms. If public or private institutions are given too much control over the data produced through online transactions their monopoly could be used to undermine the ability of the public to report abusive or dangerous practices. Moreover, citizens of a number of countries might hesitate to use credit cards to support opposition parties if they risk coming under increased scrutiny because of collusion between banks and sitting governments. In an era where the authority over so many daily activities is being ceded by states to international corp...